Team
Marc Burrows, Founder and Executive Director
Marc Burrows, MSW, LMSW, CPSS, ADC, is a harm reductionist and drug user health advocate, using his lived experience with substance use, the treatment industry, and the criminal justice system to inform his approach in practice. Marc's entrance into the helping profession was through advocating for people on MAT/MOUD in the abstinence laden recovery community, to reduce stigma and expand access to these medications. In 2016 Marc started handing out harm reduction supplies from the trunk of his car, in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs, and later founded Challenges Inc SC as the first syringe service program in South Carolina.
Lysandra, Harm Reduction Specialist
Lysandra Ryan, CPSS, is a Harm Reduction worker who was born in South Carolina, but began her work in the field in Canada during the pandemic. There, she joined a street outreach team composed of people with lived and living experience, responding compassionately to overdoses, distributing clean supplies, supervising consumption, providing referrals, and serving as an alternative to police. In 2024, Lysandra returned to upstate South Carolina and began work as a Harm Reduction Specialist with Challenges Inc SC. Inspired by her own experiences, she is committed to reducing stigma among marginalized communities, ensuring people stay safe and alive and feel seen and heard.
Raymond Velazquez, Program Administrator
Raymond Velazquez, Program Administrator
Raymond Velazquez-Turner is a public health leader and harm reduction advocate committed to advancing health equity through community-centered, low-barrier approaches. He serves as Program Administrator with Challenges Inc SC, supporting the growth of accessible, participant-driven harm reduction services. He grounds his work in his lived experience as a former sex worker, a person living with HIV, someone who has experienced homelessness, and a person who uses drugs. He advocates for intersectional approaches that recognize the connection between race, sexuality, gender identity, housing, substance use, and health outcomes.
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his husband, their two French bulldogs, and visiting National Parks.
Tina Kasson, Harm Reduction Specialist
Raymond Velazquez, Program Administrator
Tina Kasson is a Harm Reduction worker who is passionate about changing the conversation around drug use. As a Harm Reduction Specialist at Challenges Inc SC, she draws on her educational background in social work and lived experience to replace judgment with genuine human connection. Tina’s work is rooted in the belief that safety and bodily autonomy are basic human rights. Having experienced stigma from the very systems meant to offer support, she knows firsthand that the war on drugs is often fought through isolation and shame. Tina is dedicated to breaking down these barriers by embracing radical acceptance in the face of punitive measures. She is all about creating a safe environment where people can reclaim their inherent value and make informed decisions about their health.
Kris Stepp, Harm Reduction Program Manager
Shae Dalrymple, Community Distribution Specialist
Kris Stepp serves as the Program Manager for Challenges Inc. SC. A dedicated advocate who began as a volunteer in 2020, Kris’s work is fueled by the personal mission of preventing accidental Fentanyl overdoses—a cause close to his heart after losing his own daughter.
With multi-state experience operating Syringe Service Programs (SSP), Kris’s heart remained in South Carolina, and he eventually returned home to lead local harm reduction efforts. Now, in what he considers his "dream job," Kris combines his lived experience with professional expertise to manage community outreach and advocate for evidence-based care. He views his career not just as a profession, but as a vital service to ensure no other family has to endure an unnecessary loss.
Shae Dalrymple, Community Distribution Specialist
Shae Dalrymple, Community Distribution Specialist
Shae Dalrymple is a harm reduction activist and writer with extensive lived experience and a passion for human rights, especially bodily autonomy. She graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor's of science in journalism in 2012 and spent several years working as a reporter, writer, and editor at newspapers covering Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. After witnessing too many of her friends die from accidental overdoses, Shae decided to pursue a career in harm reduction. In 2019 she joined Harm Reduction Ohio as Communications Director and Distribution Manager, where she helped establish a free, statewide mail order naloxone program. In 2024, she returned to SC and started working with Challenges Inc to revamp its harm reduction mail service, which has grown steadily since, providing life-saving sterile supplies, test strips, naloxone, and harm reduction resources; free of judgement and barriers. Shae is proud of her Appalachian, Rust Belt roots, but she adores South Carolina (especially the Lowcountry) and is grateful to be of service here. In her free time, she enjoys the beach, concerts, and watching her partner win at dirt track late model races.
Executive Board
Darin Thomas
Sayward Harrison
Sayward Harrison
Darin Thomas, LMSW, MBA, is a healthcare professional with more than 21 years of experience in behavioral health, mental health, case management, program development, population health, and addiction medicine. He currently serves as Project Manager for the Addiction Medicine Center at Prisma Health, where he supports innovative, community
Darin Thomas, LMSW, MBA, is a healthcare professional with more than 21 years of experience in behavioral health, mental health, case management, program development, population health, and addiction medicine. He currently serves as Project Manager for the Addiction Medicine Center at Prisma Health, where he supports innovative, community-centered initiatives that expand access to care and address behavioral health needs and social determinants of health across South Carolina. His background includes leadership roles in care coordination, community health, and program development, along with board and committee service for several statewide
and community organizations. Darin is President of Mental Health America of Greenville County, Credentialing Council Chair for the SC Community Health Workers Association, and Secretary of the Board for Challenges, Inc. SC. He has also been recognized with the Community Star Award and the Voice of Public Health Award.
Sayward Harrison
Sayward Harrison
Sayward Harrison
Sayward Harrison, PhD is a health psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina (USC). Dr. Harrison’s research focuses on improving the prevention and treatment of stigmatized health conditions, including HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and substance use disorder (SUD
Sayward Harrison, PhD is a health psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina (USC). Dr. Harrison’s research focuses on improving the prevention and treatment of stigmatized health conditions, including HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and substance use disorder (SUD). Her research has been funded by federal entities, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Dr. Harrison also serves as Program Director of the USC Integrated Care for Recovery (I-CaRe) Center—a clinical training center that builds capacity among health service professionals and paraprofessionals to respond to the South Carolina opioid crisis. When she’s not in the research lab or classroom, Sayward enjoys going on travel adventures with her husband (Conor) and daughters (Beatrice & Meg), playing tennis,
and thrifting at her local Goodwill.
Kenric Ware
Sayward Harrison
Alexis Lindner
Kenric B. Ware, PharmD, MBA, AAHIVP
Kenric is a pharmacist who holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree and serves as a voting member of the South Carolina HIV Planning Council, with active involvement in its Needs Assessment Committee. Kenric also functions as a Clinical Associate
Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Mercer University Colle
Kenric B. Ware, PharmD, MBA, AAHIVP
Kenric is a pharmacist who holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree and serves as a voting member of the South Carolina HIV Planning Council, with active involvement in its Needs Assessment Committee. Kenric also functions as a Clinical Associate
Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Mercer University College of Pharmacy. Nationally, Kenric contributes to the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) in a few capacities: Board
of Directors member as Chairperson of AAHIVM’s Georgia Chapter; item writer for AAHIVM credentialing examinations; and membership in AAHIVM’s Credentialing and Public Policy Committees. Kenric has a long history of working with syringe service programs, starting with his time at programs based in Atlanta, GA.
Alexis Lindner
Alexis Lindner
Alexis Lindner
Alexis currently serves as the Client Relations Specialist at Serving At-Risk Families Everywhere, a family violence intervention program where she provides holistic support to individuals and families navigating the criminal justice system and social services. A dedicated advocate for social justice and the empowerment of marginalized c
Alexis currently serves as the Client Relations Specialist at Serving At-Risk Families Everywhere, a family violence intervention program where she provides holistic support to individuals and families navigating the criminal justice system and social services. A dedicated advocate for social justice and the empowerment of marginalized communities, Alexis has made it her mission to support individuals involved in the criminal justice system. Her passion for advocacy is personal, from watching a loved one navigate incarceration and witnessing firsthand the profound impact the system can have on individuals, families, and communities. Alexis loves spending time with her two kids and poodle. My board role is Member at Large. I love Challenge Incs mission and I truly believe in meeting people where they’re at.
Leigh Huckins
Alexis Lindner
Leigh Huckins
Leigh Huckins serves as the Population Health Manager at Prisma Health’s Addiction Medicine Center and holds credentials as an NCPRSS, CPS, CPSS, and SAS. She is a wife and mother, balancing family life with her passion for helping others. Leigh has an extensive background working with individuals and
families that suffer from substance us
Leigh Huckins serves as the Population Health Manager at Prisma Health’s Addiction Medicine Center and holds credentials as an NCPRSS, CPS, CPSS, and SAS. She is a wife and mother, balancing family life with her passion for helping others. Leigh has an extensive background working with individuals and
families that suffer from substance use disorder as well as a personal journey of long-term recovery for over a decade. She uses her lived experience to improve health outcomes for the underserved. She is a Certified Peer Supervisor, Certified Peer Support Specialist, and National Peer Support Specialist utilizing
her expertise to offer compassionate and effective support to individuals living with mental health and substance use disorder.
Lauren Foster
Alexis Lindner
Leigh Huckins
Lauren Foster, NCPRS, CPSS, is a dedicated leader and advocate in the recovery field with 9 years of professional experience. As the current Lead Recovery Care Navigator for Spartanburg County, she expertly guides individuals toward needed resources and essential support. Lauren holds multiple specialized credentials, including Nationally
Lauren Foster, NCPRS, CPSS, is a dedicated leader and advocate in the recovery field with 9 years of professional experience. As the current Lead Recovery Care Navigator for Spartanburg County, she expertly guides individuals toward needed resources and essential support. Lauren holds multiple specialized credentials, including Nationally Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist, Community Health Worker, Forensic Peer Recovery Specialist, Harm Reduction Specialist, and Family Recovery Coach. Her extensive professional background and lived experience with substance use disorder allow her to provide comprehensive, compassionate care where each individual feels valued and heard. Deeply committed to public service, Lauren actively impacts local systems through her leadership on several board of directors. She currently serves as a board member for Challenges Inc, the Office of Mental Health- Spartanburg Area, and Angel's Charge Ministries. Through these vital roles, she champions positive systemic change and shares her unique insights as someone living in long term recovery.
Annual Report
The purpose of this Impact Report is to share how Challenges Inc SC has saved lives, supported communities, and advanced harm reduction across the Upstate and beyond. By combining data with personal stories, we demonstrate our accountability to funders and partners, celebrate the dignity and resilience of our participants, and highlight the urgent need for continued support to sustain and grow this work.